Finding Reason
by elebelly
Summary: Murder, death, gangs, and an underworld free from regulations, Tifa Lockhart cannot escape her fate. Eventual Cloti. AU.
1. Daddy

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Disclaimer - I do not own the wonderful world of FFVII, nor do I have the pleasure of owning the characters within...:(

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Rid of perfection.

_Silence._

That was all she heard. The little girl rubbed her ears just to make sure, however she was certain. The clattering and sounds of movement that were present just a few moments before had escaped, through what she thought, an open window. Carefully she pushed the cupboard door open and stepped out from the dark confines, alert. Eyes peeled, she cautiously made her way to the stairs. Adrenaline pumped vigorously through her tiny form, her muscles tense. She climbed stealthily.

_5 more to go. Keep breathing._

But on the second to last, the stair gave way to a hideous creak.

Eyes widened.

Sucked breath.

She gripped the rail, her feet fixed to the wood and squeezed her eyes shut, scared of what may come. Nothing. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Nothing. Taking a few precious seconds to compose herself she completed the staircase and walked down the corridor, to the last door.

_This is it. _

She felt her eyes burn with the pressure. Shaking fingers gripped the handle. Praying softly, she pushed and opened the door. And at that moment it seemed the world stopped, and all senses escaped her.

He was still sitting in that chair of his. Seemingly oblivious to the destruction around him. Papers were scattered, and books were torn off bookcases, and shattered glass was everywhere. Exactly what his study was not, he was always a perfectionist. His face was the same, but different. Pain was etched into his eyes, eyes which were just like hers, deep red, colour of rich wine. However, as she looked further down, the senses of shock, and intense pain kicked in. A small trail of red had trickled down the front of his neck, the source coming from behind.

_No._

Her sense returned, she screamed. Ran to him. Calling his name. Yet as she looked up at him, her eyes brimming of tears, no reply came. Slowly but surely, drop by drop, tears enveloped her face. Sliding to the floor she knew not of the pain and suffering which would come only later in her life, and how these tears would fall again. She only knew the present, as she hugged his legs, her luscious brown hair sweeping free of its loose hold, swathing the air around her. Eyes tightly closed, all she wanted was to fall asleep. She was tired, and he was gone.

_Da__ddy._

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AN: OMGOSH! It has been _too_ long since I have put on my writing shoes, and I am SO sorry if i have kept any of you lovely reviewers waiting, but now seems a better time than ever! Rather late than ever...:) However I have tweaked this chapter just a bit! Next chapter will be coming in...3 mins :). You have really inspired me, thankyou. Reviews would be VERY much appreciated :D. 


	2. Beast

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Disclaimer - Ele owns noooothingggg! (Btw, I have tweaked the last chapter so re-read if you want, however there aren't any major adjustments, but there is an Author's Note.) Oh and I am in need of someone to read over stuff I write prior, please if you have the spare time, I would be so grateful!

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The black monstrosity purred its way up the road. He had to be careful, swift and silent. He couldn't afford to screw this up, not with the incredible amount of gil on the line, he had to support his affluent way of life anyway. Scanning the target horizon he shifted a little, perched on the seat, fully alert. Glancing at his watch he noted the time, 12.50 a.m. Ten minutes to go. The dark figure ripped his goggles off, his eyes, unusually needing no time adjust to the surrounding darkness glowed an ethereal blue, piercing the night. This was his favourite time of day…or night, whichever you prefer. 

_Beep_

12.55 a.m.

Flicking a switch on the beast silenced it, and another opened its wings. The array of assorted sword pieces looked almost beautiful as each carefully crafted segment glistened softly in the moonlight, however beauty was no excuse for the amount of lives each piece had taken, and how they reeked of death. The rider knew this wasn't going to be a particularly bloody night, however, precautions didn't hurt anyone. Well not him, yet, anyway. Slipping the largest of the segments behind him so it rested against his back, he checked his watch one final time.

12.59 a.m.

To this date, Cloud Strife had never been late.

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Tonight of all nights Seventh Heaven was practically deserted, in fact it was, bar the lone woman who was tending to the glasses. Sighing, she glared ruefully at a water stain which would just _not come off. _She scrubbed harder, her knuckles white from the pressure she was applying, washing off the soap she looked to see whether it had gone. _Still there. _She shut her eyes and opened them quickly, hoping that this, useless a method as it was, would help her cause. _Well what do you know, still there. _Exasperated, she flung the glass back into the sink, surprised it didn't break. _Why did Barret pick today to go to Corel? It's not like we need more wine! _

"Gargh!" she groaned, a low guttural sound emptied from her diaphragm. Not one of the more attractive sounds that ever left her mouth.

_What to do, what to do, what to do…_

By this time she had already wiped down the bar five times, and checked, rechecked and rechecked the second check, the bottles of alcohol in the storeroom, there was actually nothing more she could do. Bored as hell, she had reverted to cleaning the water stains off the glasses which she had washed earlier, but neglected to dry. Yet even that mission had ended prematurely. _God, wringing my own neck would be more fun than this. _She yawned for the hundredth time that night and collapsed onto a bar stool, recounting the orders which Barret, her boss, had given her before he left.

Tidy the place up: _vague, but check._

Clean the glasses: _Check…twice. _

Wipe the bar down: _Check…five times._

Clean the toilets, she remembered he emphasised to do _both_ sets: _Don't think I'll ever be bored enough for that, love. _

Her smirk quickly vanished, and she flopped her head on the table, her dark hair cascading around her frame. _No more…please, someone end this godforsaken misery. _And as if by some divine intervention, her prayer was answered. She didn't even hear the bar door open, nor catch the sound of the intruder's footsteps. Her only indication that someone had entered the bar was when it was only too late, and the sharp prick of cold metal was against the back of her neck. 

She froze.

She didn't need a warning to know that she shouldn't move a muscle, yet it came.

"You move, you die, Lockhart."

_Well talk about melodramatic. _"I wasn't going to." She murmured.

His sharp ears caught her retort, however there was no need for a verbal counter, as his reply of placing more pressure onto the back of her neck, got its deserved sentence.

Silence.

"You either can make this easy, or difficult for yourself, I suggest you choose the prior."

"Gosh, you're really one for originality, huh!" she quipped. _Great, first customer of the night, ends up being a pretentious psycho. This guys a joke. _She couldn't help herself, she always had a loose tongue, and a horrifyingly quick wit. Nonetheless, she had to be careful, she didn't want to end up dead. _Wringing my neck, is that more or less painful than being impaled to death?_

His brows knotted and lips pursed. _She had the nerve…_His anger was fuelled by her quick replies, he knew that if he didn't tidy this up soon, she would make it messy for herself. _Did she not know who he was? _Truth was she couldn't, she had not even seen his face yet, and inevitably wouldn't know who he was once she did. No one like her knew he existed, even then, not many people like him did either. Associates and acquired friends were the only people in his life. He didn't need anymore than that, he couldn't afford to. Living was the last thing on his agenda.

In a flash, he whipped her around on her stool, and now the cold blade edge was pressed firmly against her neck, her back painfully driven against the bar. And for the first time, blue met red. His eyes briefly scanned her face. _Yes, she was the one. _She looked slightly older than what was on the picture he was provided with, but the same person nevertheless.

Only when she was turned she realised it wasn't a small knife that the man was wielding, it was everything but small. The blade was long and thick, strangely hollow in some places. Now, Tifa knew a good amount of information about weapons and their origins, however this, she couldn't place. The crafting was alien in her eyes. _Peculiar…_Tifa Lockhart was not feeble, years of training under Zangan had made her sharp, however even she knew when defeat was staring her in the eyes. _In this case, when a humungous sword is practically slicing my throat. _His eyes though, icy blue, had an eerie luminescence glow to them. _Woah…_

And his eyes did all the talking. She could not take hers off them, they were just too alluring, she didn't even notice the sword being slipped away from her neck, neither did she detect the twist of his arm and the hilt flying towards the side of her head.

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Review dears :) would be very much appreciated! xxx

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	3. Silence

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Disclaimer - I do not own the wonderful world of FFVII...damn :(

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_Silence._

Tifa stirred, her body strangely numb, a breath hitched in her throat as the thick, stifling pungent smell of something very unfamiliar swamped her nose and coated her mouth, suffocating her. Controlling the intake of the lack of oxygen present, she attempted to cautiously open her eyes, only to find that her body didn't have the strength to. Panic flooded her lithe form weaving slyly around her bones, the last remains of her unconsciousness quickly vanishing, she tried again to move another limb, but the mental effort was futile, and it just seemed to tire her out even more. _Since when did I get so damn drained…_She tried again, no such luck. Her other senses however, were slowly returning to her.

_Cold._

The floor she was lying on, if she was even lying down, for all she knew, she could've been standing up, hung upside down…but whichever it was, it was cold. Freezing almost.

Her instincts wanted her to curl up, or at least recoil from the icy surface, but she could not move a muscle. She just couldn't. And it was _such_ a bizarre feeling. Suddenly, the horrendous realisation that she didn't know where she was, or why she was in this state hit her like a train. Her torrid emotions once again allowed the fear to bleed in, but she had to control her breathing, that simple process was starting to hurt her chest. Just where the hell was she? She was still unable to feel her body.

_That man…oh my god, what if...OH MY GOD...SHIT, that neurotic son of a bitch__, he's hijacked me! Why the hell didn't I...ARGH!_

Light suddenly filled wherever she was and blinded her, even though her eyes were shut, the thin membrane which protected them glowed a vivid red, causing her to shut them harder. Heavy footsteps were approaching at an excruciating slow pace, or maybe they weren't? Perhaps time was fucked up in her head too, she knew she couldn't trust just what she heard or felt right then, her mind and body seemed so alien. The last step she heard landed very near to her stomach. _I am lying down then. _She focussed intently on the sounds which followed. Creak of boots. Rustle of fabric. Squirt of liquid. Slow relaxed breaths. _1…2…3…_oddly the anonymous presence calmed her, just knowing she wasn't alone-

-She felt it. Who wouldn't? The needle was viciously jammed into her stomach and pain erupted from her core. This surge of pain fuelled the violent reflex arc of her body as her chest arced up, eyes tore open, and a feral scream exploded from her. But the plethora of feelings proved to be just too much. She was in a plain grey room, vaguely resembling a prison, bars were everywhere, perhaps it was a cage…but suddenly her world began to spin. Her breathing erratic. Her body, once again was failing her, refusing to respond to her pleas to take control. She was losing it. And in once swift moment, she fell against the hard ground. Unconscious.

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_Icy blue eyes peered through the hatch._

"She's there."

"Any trouble?"

"No."

"Sure?"_ Smirk. _"Heard she's a looker"

"…"

"So no distractions then…"

"…"

"Jeez, lighten up man"

"Just take me through"

"Alright, ok-ok…christ and this is you without a pole jammed up…"

_Stare._

"Err…"

"Reno!" a call came from the back.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll let him through" The man quickly closed the hatch, and unbolted the thick iron doors. The other, previously standing on the other side steadily walked through, once he was safely out of range,

"Bastard" was uttered from both man's lips.

The blonde walked through a second imposing doorway which opened into a luxurious office space. The sole occupant was staring at a portrait on the far wall, one of an esteemed stranger, which was above a burning fireplace. Once inside, he tilted his head towards Cloud in acknowledgement, but did not turn his way.

"We have her?" The question was rhetorical.

"She's in holding"

"Good, I take it she wasn't a challenge?"

"No, her best defence was an impudent tongue."

The other man's face distorted slightly, almost as if it was trying to express the slightest sign of amusement but had not done so for a while. After a few moments he opened a small box on the mantelpiece and retrieved a syringe, he turned to face Cloud, his long dark hair trailing down his shoulders.

"You know what to do."

"Vinc-"

"Stop. This is necessary."

"Yes sir." His voice monotone, showing no sign of emotion.

"This is an order Cloud" The man held the syringe out for the blonde who took it with inhuman speed.

"When will-"

"I am unsure of when, but I know it will be soon. You should know all our clients are anonymous, but whoever wants her must have connections with ShinRa, and whatever they do, is done with haste."

"Hmm…"

"Go. Do it, and don't try to ease the pain, she must know where she stands."

"Yes sir."

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He strode in, oblivious to the stench, immune to it after all these years, the dull grey surroundings numbed the tense, thick air. His cold eyes scanned the room and caught sight of the body haphazardly sprawled across the floor. _Pitiful. _Honestly, he expected more of a fight from someone like her; _was she not trained?_ Being who she was, she should have been. He noticed her stir, he needed to do this sooner rather than later. Swiftly he moved towards her and bent down, his boots creaking slightly. He saw her eyelids flickering, whatever she was trying, her efforts were futile. _Weak. _In one hand he took out the syringe and squeezed, making sure there was no trace of air inside, whilst he soundlessly examined her. She did not seem to be fatally injured, her hair was obscuring the bruise on her head he knew was present from when he hit her. That simple step had been performed with such accuracy, that if he missed the mark by a couple of millimetres she would've been dead, not paralysed. He roughly pushed her shirt up exposing her taut stomach, his eyes noting how creamy her skin was compared to his, how_…alive. _Yet with no sign of emotion, no flicker of anything, he stabbed her with the long needle. She convulsed wildly beneath him, body arching, hair spraying, breaths sharp, until all movement stopped. Unusually he found himself in a foreign predicament, his arms outstretched and the girl's upper body lying tangled on top, her head resting against his bicep. He visibly flinched. Swiping his hands away, he let her body fall with a thump. Still no emotion could be read. With practised control he stood up, and exited the room. Once outside, the slightest and briefest of twitches crossed his face, but in milliseconds, it was gone.

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AN: OHMY I am SO sorry this has taken so long ! ONE WORD: school. But thank the lord, the holiday has FINALLY come! Now I have time to update like crazy! :D Review please ;)

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